The airline currently uses Terminal 3 for its international flights, but will shift to the Terminal 4 when the project is completed. Delta said passengers will also see improved connections to Terminal 2, from which the airline operates most of its domestic flights.

Delta employees were joined by company CEO Richard Anderson as ground was broken Friday.

Anderson said their work made the expansion possible.

“It’s all these people who we serve here today that we really honor by making this sort of commitment to decades of success,” Anderson said.

The $1.2 billion project — funded predominantly by the Port Authority — is expected to create 10,000 new jobs and generate significant income for the region.

Delta will contribute $75 million and much of the remaining cost will be funded by “passenger facility charges,” which are expected to be added to airfares.